A Walk on the Haunted Side (Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Book 2) (16 page)

This was my chance to go upstairs and take a look around. I was nervous, but I had to do it anyway. When I stepped out the door, I scanned the area for Cady or Sandra. I spotted Cady at the end of the hallway by the back door. Her back was facing me and I didn’t think she’d heard me. I walked backwards so that I could keep my eye on her. I glanced back a few times to make sure I didn’t bump into anything and break something of Gail’s. Thank goodness I reached the staircase without her noticing. I hoped that I didn’t run into Sandra and that Cady was on that call for a long time. I had to hurry. It would probably be the only opportunity I got to take a look around.

I tiptoed up the stairs. I wasn’t sure which one I least wanted to discover me, Cady or Sandra. Once at the top of the stairs, I had to figure out which one of the many bedrooms to go into first.

If Gail spotted me, I had an excuse for being up here. But if Sandra or Cady saw me I wasn’t sure what I’d say. Maybe I could tell them I was looking for the bathroom. I inched my way down the hallway. There were doors everywhere. I’d had no idea there would be so many bedrooms up here. The house was even bigger than it looked from the outside. Where would I begin to look?

When I peeked into the bedroom on the right, I saw the black purse that Cady had been carrying. I remembered it because it had a big white bow on one of the handles. This was the bedroom that I wanted to start with. Next I needed to find Sandra’s bedroom.

I paused with my hand on the doorknob and listened to see if anyone was coming. Since I didn’t hear anything, I decided to go for it. I needed to move quickly, which would be tough because I didn’t even know what I was looking for. I had to place Cady or Sandra with Hank at the time of his murder. That would be tough.  

I looked over my shoulder. Apparently Cady was still downstairs. But I had no idea where Sandra was. Did I have the nerve to go into their rooms? My heart sped up as I stepped into the bedroom. The bed had been made with a pale pink comforter and everything in the room was tidy. The purse was on top of the bed. I glanced back again. Without any time to waste, I raced over to the bed. I unzipped her purse and peeked in. It felt creepy looking through her things. If she caught me, she would want to kill me. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

She had a wallet and some makeup. Nothing out of the ordinary about that. This was getting me nowhere. That was when I noticed the phone. That was weird. She was on her cell phone downstairs. Why did she have two phones?

I picked up the phone and immediately looked through the phone log. There was only one name on the list of calls and that was Hank. These calls went back for a couple weeks. Was this phone only for him? I noticed that the last call from him was about thirty minutes before I’d found him dead in the cemetery. That was something the police would like to know. Cady must have had a private line and a work number. That was certainly possible.

Next I checked the emails on the phone. There was a last email from Hank, which was sad. I glanced over my shoulder toward the door. My nerves were on an all-time high, but so far there was no sign of Cady coming up the steps. I had to hurry though because I didn’t want to deal with the confrontation if she happened to catch me.

I opened the link and scrolled down to the message. In the email Cady told Hank that she would meet him at the tour. Cady had said she hadn’t gone with Hank for the tour. It seemed like she had some explaining to do. I wondered what her excuse would be.

Quickly I looked through the other emails, but didn’t notice anything that had relevance to the murder. The browser on the phone had been cleared. I wondered if she was trying to hide something.

Even though I wanted to take the phone as evidence, I knew that I couldn’t. I tossed the phone back in the purse and scanned the room. Unfortunately, I didn’t see anything else. I checked the closet, but didn’t see anything other than clothing. It was time for me to get out of her room. She did have a planner on the nightstand, so I figured that it was worth a shot. I picked up the book and shuffled through the pages. I didn’t see anything that was worth noting.

A page slipped out of the planner. I picked up the paper from the floor. A sound came from the hallway and I paused. My heart rate increased. Was someone coming down the hall? I took a quick glance at the paper. It was an ad for a tea shop in town. It had just opened recently. I figured Cady had visited there while in town.

After a couple of seconds I didn’t hear anything else so I jammed the paper back in the book and placed it where I’d found it. I set the book down and hurried over to the door. I peeked my head out to make sure she wasn’t in the hall, or even worse waiting beside the door to surprise me. Thank goodness she wasn’t there. I didn’t see Sandra either.

I eased out into the hallway. While I was up there I needed to look around Sandra’s room. But which room was hers? There were seven other doors up there. That meant I would have to open each door until I found it. I guessed I should get started.

I hoped that I didn’t get caught now. I’d managed to get out of Cady’s room, now I was risking getting caught all over again.

I went to the nearest door and turned the knob. It was locked. That ruled out that room. I went to the next and the next and they were all closed.

I stepped to the next door and turned. The door opened, but I soon realized that it was only a closet. The next door I didn’t need to check because it was open and I’d already realized that it was the bathroom. I checked the last couple of doors and they were locked too. I hadn’t expected all the other doors to be locked. I supposed I’d gotten lucky that Cady had left her door open. I really wanted to check Sandra’s. I wondered if I could find the key to get the door unlocked. Unfortunately, there wasn’t time for that.

As I made it down the hallway, the sound of footsteps grew closer. I’d almost made it to the staircase when I spotted Cady. She paused when she saw me. I knew she was surprised to see me up here.

She looked me up and down. “Are you lost?”

I stared at her. I had just as much right to be up here as she did. “I was using the bathroom.”

She narrowed her eyes. “There’s a bathroom downstairs.”

“Oh, I guess I missed it. Well, it was nice seeing you again,” I said as I weaved around her.

That was a close one. I felt her stare on my back as I hurried down the stairs. After seeing the email, I was even more anxious. I couldn’t wait to tell Brannon about what I’d seen. I should have taken her phone with me. But I couldn’t risk that. And now that she’d seen me up here, she would have known that I was the one who took it. No, it was better that I hadn’t taken it. Though now I wouldn’t be able to prove what I’d seen.

I slipped out of the house without seeing Sandra or Gail again. Once I reached my car, I grabbed my phone and dialed Brannon’s number.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

He probably wondered why I was calling him so early. I watched the sidewalk to see if either of the women had followed me out.

“I found something that might be relevant to the case,” I said, staring at the house.

“Really?” he asked with interest. “What is it?”

“I found a phone that Cady had in her purse. There was an email from Hank that she answered and said she would meet him at the graveyard.” I rushed out the words without taking a breath.

“Whoa. What are you doing with her purse?” he asked.

“I don’t have her purse. I was just looking through it.”

“Rip, I’m not sure that is such a good idea. Where are you now?”

“At the bed-and-breakfast,” I answered.

He paused and then said, “Maybe I don’t want to know the answer to this, but I’ll ask anyway. Why are you there?”

“I just thought I’d stop by and see Gail,” I said.

“You saw her last night. I don’t think I want you there alone.”

“I made it out alive.” I chuckled.

He failed to see the humor. “So you didn’t tell me why you are looking at her purse.”

“Well, I had to find some kind of clue. So yes, I was snooping around.”

“Was Cady or Sandra there?”

“Yes, they were downstairs,” I said. 

“You could have been caught.”

“Yes, I could have been, but I wasn’t.” I chuckled again, trying to lighten the mood.

It wasn’t working. Brannon seemed upset with me.

“Without the phone, I don’t think we can prove anything. We can’t find his phone. The killer must have gotten rid of it.”

This would be a stumbling block. Could I find the phone? Did Cady or Sandra have it? To find out would mean going back in there. I would have to come up with a really good excuse to get in there.

Tammy met me at the diner for a late dinner. She didn’t have to work at the salon tonight, so we decided to use this chance to catch up. Normally, I preferred to eat dinner at home with a good book or while watching HGTV, but sometimes it was nice to let someone else do the cooking.

As I approached Mammy’s Cafe, I spotted Tammy standing out front. So far, she hadn’t noticed me. Tammy had changed clothing since work. Now she wore her favorite jeans and a cream-colored turtleneck sweater.

“Hey, good-looking,” I called out.

She glanced over at me and laughed. “I thought someone was seriously trying to flirt with me. Too bad.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble.”

Tammy opened the diner’s door and I stepped inside. “Thanks.”

Surprisingly, there weren’t a lot of people there. It was getting late and I supposed most people had already eaten dinner. The dark-haired waitress glanced up and waved, signaling we could sit wherever we wanted. Country music played in the background, but the chatter from diners drowned out most of the song. The smell of grease and coffee lingered in the air.

Tammy knew my favorite booth, so she gestured over to it. We hurried over and snagged the booth. I wasn’t sure why because it wasn’t as if anyone would snatch it from us. We slid into the booth and grabbed the menus stuck between the napkin dispenser and sugar container. Usually I ordered the same thing—turkey sandwich, hold the mayo—but tonight I wanted a change.

This booth offered a perfect view of the street outside. I needed to see the sidewalk and across the street just in case Sandra or one of the shadows decided to pop in. I’d know before Sandra had a chance to surprise me.

Before I had a chance to even think about ordering, Tammy asked about Brannon. “Is his ex-wife still in town?”

“I haven’t seen Darlene since that night. Brannon hasn’t mentioned it.” I focused my attention across the diner, hoping Tammy would sense that I didn’t want to talk about Brannon’s ex any more.

When I looked over near the register, I spotted someone I recognized. Hank’s ex-wife was sitting on a stool at the counter. I’d remember her anywhere after that ordeal at the library. Even without the fiasco with Hank, I would have remembered her. She was memorable with her long blonde hair that reached below her waist and long legs.

I motioned for Tammy to take a look. “That’s Hank’s ex-wife.”

Tammy turned around in the booth. “Where?”

“The woman in the denim jacket and multicolored scarf sitting at the counter. There’s just something familiar about her.”

“Other than the fact that she’s Hank’s ex-wife? Other than the fact that she caused a big scene at the library?” Tammy asked.

“Yes, other than all of that. It’s like there’s something about her that I’ve seen before… only I have seen her before, so that can’t be it.” I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s a strange feeling.”

“It’s probably just everything strange that’s been going on,” Tammy said.

“You’re probably right.” 

The waitress came over and we placed our orders. It was difficult to find something healthy on the menu. I ordered grilled chicken with a salad.

“You should have gotten the burger.” Tammy laughed.

“I should have, but I’ll be good this time.” I couldn’t stop watching Melissa. “I can’t tell if she’s already eaten or if she’s getting ready to leave,” I whispered, as if she’d overhear me.

“Are you still watching her?” Tammy looked over her shoulder again. “She’ll think you’re a stalker.”

“I can’t help it. I know there’s something that I’m missing.”

“Clearly you’re letting this investigation get the better of you.” Tammy played with her napkin.

I took a drink of water. “Maybe so, but I have to do what I can to solve the murder.”

I knew Tammy thought I shouldn’t be involved. She said it was too dangerous. Of course she was right, but again I didn’t do what was safe.

As I studied Melissa and tried to pretend that I wasn’t watching her, it hit me. “Ah-ha,” I blurted out.

Tammy set her glass down. “What?”

“The scarf around her neck.” I gestured with a tilt of my head.

Tammy peeked at the woman. “You’ve seen the scarf in a store? I have to tell you, Rip, it’s not that cute. So if you’re thinking of buying one, don’t.”

I could always count on Tammy to be honest with me. “No, that’s not it. Hank was wearing that scarf the night of his murder.”

Tammy stared at me with wide eyes. “Are you sure?”

“I’m positive. Like you said, I noticed how ugly it was.” I frowned.

“Don’t worry, she can’t hear you say how ugly it is. Maybe she has one just like his,” Tammy said.

“Matching scarves? That’s a big coincidence, don’t you think? Considering they weren’t married anymore?” 

“I suppose they could still dress alike,” Tammy said.

“That would just be creepy,” I said.

The waitress brought our food. I couldn’t concentrate on eating because I was watching Melissa. Since I’d started watching she’d gotten her food and was almost finished eating.

“She’s going to catch you watching her.”

I stuffed a forkful of food into my mouth and chewed. When I finished I said, “I have to find a way to find out if that was his scarf.”

“Hmm. That doesn’t seem possible,” Tammy said.

“Nothing is impossible,” I said with a wink.

“You are going to get in trouble, aren’t you?” Tammy asked.

“Not if I can help it,” I said. “I just know that he was wearing that scarf the night he was murdered. What kind of sicko would murder someone and wear his clothing?”

“There are a lot of sick people in this world. I’ve heard of killers taking things from their victims as a sort of memento,” Tammy said.

“Yeah, I’ve heard of that too.”

“Do you think that’s the case with her?”

“It’s looking kind of like it, yes,” I said.

Tammy had been right. There was no way to prove that it was his scarf. I could tell Brannon, but what could he do?

Just then, as if she had heard us talking about her, Melissa looked over and noticed me watching her. I looked away quickly, but I knew she’d seen me. She’d looked right in my eyes. It was a creepy look too.

“She saw me,” I whispered.

Tammy coughed. “Uh-oh. What is she doing?”

“I don’t know. I’m afraid to look over at her again.”

“I’m starting to sweat,” Tammy said. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Wait a second. I’ll look over at her again. Just let me get my nerve up.” I took a deep breath and released it. 

I glanced over again, sure that I would either find her glaring at me or, worse, standing beside our table. Much to my surprise, Melissa was headed for the door.

“She’s leaving,” I whispered.

“Did she look at you?” Tammy asked.

“Not yet.” I didn’t take my eyes off her, although I was worried at any second she would look my way.

When she reached the door, she paused and looked right at me. I froze, unsure of what to do. She knew that I’d seen her, so I offered a halfhearted smile. She walked out the door. She didn’t smile in return, which wasn’t a good sign.

“What’s happening?” Tammy asked.

“She looked at me and I had no choice but to smile,” I whispered.

“Is she still here?” Tammy asked.

“No, she walked out the door and down the sidewalk the other way.”

“Then why are you still whispering?”

“Oh, I forgot. Anyway, I hope she’s not waiting for us when we go out there.”

“See, I told you getting involved would only bring trouble.”

“Yeah, I know. So how can I find out about the scarf?” I asked.

“Did you not listen to anything I said?”

“I listened, it’s just that I can’t actually follow your advice at the moment.”

Tammy placed her napkin on the table. “I don’t condone any of your behavior, just so you know.”

“Duly noted.” I took another drink of water. “Now back to the scarf.” I tapped my fingers against the table. That was when it hit me. “Sandra took pictures with him.”

“Didn’t you have your picture taken with him too?” Tammy asked.

“Yes, but he’d removed his coat, which would mean that he would have taken off his scarf too.”

“Maybe she had her picture taken with him before and he was still wearing the scarf.” 

The waitress brought over our checks. I pulled Tammy’s over to my side.

“What are you doing?” Tammy asked.

“I’m paying for yours.”

“Why?” she asked with a frown.

“Because I scared you to death over dinner by staring at that woman.”

Tammy grinned. “You did do that.”

“So that’s why dinner’s on me.”

“Okay, I won’t argue with that. Maybe if you have to pay often you will stop doing it,” she said.

“Maybe,” I said with a smile.

I pushed to my feet and Tammy followed me to the register. I handed over my card to the woman behind the register.

While I waited, I asked, “How can we get to Sandra’s pictures?”

Tammy’s eyes widened. “You can’t be serious.”

I took my card back and signed the receipt. “Of course I’m serious.”

Tammy shook her head. “No way. You can’t do that.”

We walked toward the door and I said, “I have to.” Tammy stepped out the door as I held it open.

“Again, you don’t have to.”

“Okay, well, I want to.”

“See, that’s totally different. That proves you’re crazy.”

“I know she had to have taken pictures. I’m sure I remember seeing her pose with him. I just can’t remember at what point in the night.” I looked all around for Sandra or the ghosts as we walked down the sidewalk. Thank goodness I didn’t see her anywhere.

“It sounds as if you are set on doing this,” Tammy said.

“I know it’s crazy, but just think if doing this saves someone else’s life.”

“Just think if it gets us killed,” Tammy said.

“Us? So that means you’re going to help me?” I asked with a smile.

She sighed. “Of course I am going to help.”

“What changed your mind?”

“You do have a point. If Melissa is the one who did this then she needs to be behind bars.”

“Exactly!” I said.

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I guess we could go back to the bed-and-breakfast where Sandra is staying.”

I glanced over at Tammy. “You’re right, I can’t believe you said it.” 

“I can cause a distraction while you go up to her room and take a look.”

“What if I can’t get into her room?” I asked.

Tammy shook her head. “That’s something you’ll have to figure out. I’m just the distraction.”

“So we should go now?” I asked.

Tammy paused. “Wait. Now? Aren’t you going to give me time to prepare? I can’t just walk into a scheme like this.”

“Well, we really don’t have much time to prepare. This could be life or death. It’s already been one death,” I said.

Tammy stared straight ahead for a second. “True. How will I distract her?”

I tapped my finger against my lip. “I know. Talk about books. She loves books. That will give me plenty of time to go upstairs and look around. Of course that’s assuming Cady isn’t there too.”

“This gets more complicated by the minute.”

“I’m good at sneaking around, so I think we’ll be okay.” We started walking again toward the car again.

“I certainly hope so,” Tammy said.

After making our way over to Tammy’s car, we climbed in and headed over to Gail’s bed-and-breakfast.

“I suppose I didn’t think of what I would say to Gail,” I said when Tammy pulled up to the curb. “I mean, I haven’t seen her in years and now I pay her two visits in a day? Not to mention showing up at night with the police.”

Tammy cut the engine. “Good point. What if you told her you were there to talk with Sandra?”

“I suppose, but I think Gail knows that I think Sandra’s weird.”

Tammy pulled the key from the ignition. “We’ll just tell her we need to speak with Sandra about the book signing the other night. I don’t think she’ll see anything wrong about that.”

I nodded. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right,” Tammy said with a cluck of her tongue.

The sun was fading away quickly and it would be dark soon. This house had seemed so cheery during the day, but now it kind of had an ominous feeling. I supposed it was just the dark. Believe it or not, I’d always had a fear of the dark. Maybe that was part of the reason why I did the tour, so that I could get over that phobia. It had worked pretty well because I did the tour with minimal fear.

Tammy and I walked up the steps and to the door. I rang the doorbell and waited. After a few seconds, Gail opened the door. At first she looked confused, but then she gave an anxious smile. She glanced over her shoulder as if she was worried someone would see or hear us. What was going on in this house?